


Vital Signs

by SpideychelleCarwheelerTrash



Series: Segmented (A Collection of Spideychelle One-shots) [12]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: AU, F/M, Future AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 00:15:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18712609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpideychelleCarwheelerTrash/pseuds/SpideychelleCarwheelerTrash
Summary: When MJ suffers from an unexpected health complication, Peter and MJ's relationship is put to the test.





	Vital Signs

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's been a while, everyone! Thank you so much for your patience and encouragement. I am almost done, I just have to get through AP week and then I am back. But writing this put me in such a better mood, so thank all of you! This was done from a prompt, so if you would like to suggest another one to me, pop in my inbox at @you-guys--are-losers on Tumblr. ;)

Just to put things into perspective: Peter is pretty used to being terrified.

There’s been the battle against Captain America himself, who Peter had only seen in his health class videos when he first fought at Tony Stark’s side. Then there was the fact that one of his personal heroes had been joined by the Winter Soldier himself, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and, among others, a guy who could grow to be the size of a small yacht. 

Number two on the list was Vulture, who had been somehow even more terrifying than the team of opponents Peter had faced before. At least in his first battle, Peter had known that, more or less, the people on both sides were “good guys.” They were fighting, yeah, but they weren’t aiming to kill. Vulture had been another category entirely– Peter had been warned firsthand that Big Bird’s metallic cousin would bury him alive without a dent to his conscience. 

Then, somehow, it had gotten worse. Factor in a big, purple asshole, a handful of elementals, and Mysterio himself, and by his third year out of college it has been established that Peter is used to being scared witless. He has faced odds that would have made the most experienced hero quake in their boots, and he has done it since his sophomore year of high school. Now, he’s three years out of college, and even more has been added to that list to get him used to panic. 

So when it is said that this is the most alarmed Peter has ever been, the record should reflect that he is scared shitless. 

When they went for a run around the compound together, Peter wasn’t expecting to have his afternoon land him in the med bay. He was expecting the usual: a workout with MJ, some witty banter, probably a rant against capitalist society as a whole. He had been looking forward to it, to the routine that he has grown to cling to.  

MJ is his stability in all of the chaos. It is a whole new life– a whole new part of the massive city he grew up in, a new job that demands more of his mental capacity than anything has before, and an even more difficult balancing routine between superhero-ing. She’s had her chaos, too, trying to work her way up as a news producer and to remain as active and passionate as she always has before. But they have each other, they have their way-too-expensive apartment, and that’s enough. She’s enough. 

And now, she’s lying in a bed in some room deeper in the facility, and Peter is stuck outside. He can’t shut off the noises. The symphony of beeping monitors and dropping liquid from deeper within the building is undercut by a pulse of his own  _inhale, exhale._ It is this rhythm that keeps Peter calm as he thinks about some doctor looking over his girlfriend, the woman that Peter loves more than anything. 

As he sits in the chair in the waiting room, his mind keeps replaying the events leading up to this, the occurrence that brought her to the bed. Is this his fault? Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed her while they were running. He knows that her body doesn’t have the modifications his does, but– well, he thought he was taking it  _slow,_ damn it! She’s had no trouble keeping up with him before, so when MJ began to lag behind, Peter thought that perhaps she hadn’t been hydrated enough. 

He can see it in his mind’s eye: her messy curls, some damp with sweat, flopping with each beat of her feet against the sidewalk. Her t-shirt from Colombia was a little sweatier than it normally was, but then it was also warmer than usual as they took the same path they always did. Peter had scoured her face, wondering if maybe they needed to take a cool-down, and had slowed to a stop. 

In response to his curious glance, MJ had waved a hand at him, rolling her eyes. “Please, Parker, don’t let that big ego get the best of you. We both know that I have no problem keeping up with you, I’m superhuma-” 

She had not finished the sentence before a shadow crossed her face, and then her eyes were rolling back into her head and her legs were dropping out from under her. Peter had been there to catch her, but when he had, her body was limp in his arms. Her skin had been clammy– how had he not noticed that when they were holding hands before?– when he patted her face in an attempt to rouse her. When that failed, he had brought her to the medbay as quickly as possible, and then he had not gotten up from this chair after they took her from his sight. 

What if she wasn’t okay? What if he was stuck in this chair forever, just waiting? 

The thought only has a few moments to torment Peter before the door across the room opens, and Peter stands immediately. A young doctor steps through, a clipboard in hand, and her eyes find Peter just as he opens his mouth to speak. Before he can get a word out, however, she interrupts him. 

“She’s just woken up, Mr. Parker,” the young woman says, her voice as firm as it is youthful. She must be the same age as he and MJ, maybe younger. But she is here on one of Stark’s scholarships, so Peter trusts her. 

“Can I see her?” Peter’s voice is tight in his throat as he forces the question out, and he swears that the young woman’s brown eyes warm slightly. 

“Of course you may,” she responds, turning around. “Follow me, sir.” 

She doesn’t have to ask twice. The doctor leads Peter down a short hall and to the glass patient rooms, but the brief walk could not take longer. MJ is in the first room, seated in a bed that faces the door. Peter catches her eye through the wall, and he feels his breath leave him in one relieved sigh. Peter’s legs carry him of their own accord through the door, brushing him past the doctor to bring him to her side. 

MJ turns her face as he approaches the side of her bed, peering into his eyes. Her face is slightly ashen, but other than the slight pallor she to her face, she is just MJ. Her eyes hold a hint of embarrassment as Peter meets them.

“Don’t worry, Parker,” she hums, “I’m still gonna be stealing your joggers for quite some time.” Even though her tone is nonchalant, her hand finds his immediately. 

Peter laces his fingers with hers, twisting his wrist and bringing the back of her hand to his lips. For just a moment, he brushes his lips against the skin, and she draws in a sharp breath. “Gross,” she comments, wrinkling her nose, but the beeping of the vitals monitor betrays her as it skips a few beats. 

“You’re okay,” Peter breathes, lowering her hand. Still, he brings his fingers to touch the band around her wrist, and then he brings his eyes to meet hers again.

“Of course I’m okay,” she answers, her voice serious as she returns his gaze. She knows. She understands that he has lost the people he loves, the people who give his life meaning. She knows that he is terrified of losing people like her. “I just didn’t fill my water all the way up, loser. Normal people’s bodies need water, and I may have forgotten that I am not, in fact, a robot.” 

A slight cough interrupts their conversation. Both Peter’s and MJ’s heads turn to face the door, and their eyes find the young doctor who produced the sound at the same time. 

“Is something wrong?” Peter asks slowly. 

The doctor looks younger than ever now, and her wide eyes jump from Peter, to MJ, to Peter again. “Well, no…” she says slowly, glancing down at the clipboard. Peter is given a distinct impression that she is attempting something that she has not done before. “It’s just… Well. Um, Miss Jones… I have something to share with you, but you may want to speak to me in private.” 

MJ’s brow furrows, and Peter glances at her before looking back at the doctor. “Um, I can go,” he suggests slowly. He can tell the woman needs him to leave and isn’t sure how to ask, but there is reluctance in his voice he can’t keep away. He can’t help it– he’s still worried about MJ, and the idea of leaving her side at the moment sounds about as appealing as having to take on the golden-gloved Purple People Eater again. 

“No,” MJ says immediately, and Peter can feel her hand grip his a little bit tighter. “You can say whatever you need to in front of him.” 

Her tone is calm, simple. Peter is flooded with silent appreciation as he envelops her hand more deeply in his own. She understands his need to be by her side right now, and he knows that she is honoring it because she loves him. 

The young doctor clears her throat uncomfortably, and for a moment there is nothing but the sound of the heart monitor as she struggles for words. Finally, after brushing a stray strand of brown hair away from her face, the woman decides on what she wishes to say. “Well… We took blood while you were unconscious, just to make sure that there wasn’t anything to be worried about,” the physician begins slowly. 

“Alright,” MJ says, clearly processing the information. “And did the results tell you anything about why I fell?” 

“Your hydration levels were fine,” the doctor informs them, clinging to the facts. “It wasn’t your water intake. Um, actually, your blood pressure was low.” 

“Oh, that’s all it is?” MJ blinks once or twice, surprised, and then she glances up at Peter. “See, dweeb? You were worried for nothing. Lots of peoples’ blood craps out on them sometimes.” 

Peter grins, ready to retort, but then the doctor speaks up again. “Well, um… Not quite.” Both Peter and MJ turn expectantly to her, and the woman seems unsure how to handle being the center of their attention. “I mean– yes, lots of people suffer from low blood pressure, and- and I guess lots of people suffer from your condition, too, but- well, it’s not just low blood pressure.” 

MJ’s eyes widen, and Peter feels his heartbeat race. Is she actually sick? The heartbeat monitor begins to speed up, just slightly. MJ grips his hand a little harder now, and he squeezes it comfortingly in return as he questions the doctor. 

“What else is it, then?” His voice does hold a sharp edge now, though not an unkind one. MJ is nervous, now, and if there is anything that doctor can say to take the fear out of her eyes, she needs to say it now. 

The doctor takes a deep breath, glances down at the chart one last time, and then she raises her gaze to meet MJ’s. Her voice is hesitant, but there is a gleam in her eyes as she blazes ahead. 

“You’re pregnant, Miss Jones.” The doctor’s tone is slightly breathless, but a slight note of warmth enters her voice as she repeats her message. “You’re having a baby.” 

For a moment, Peter is frozen. MJ’s hand goes completely slack in his, and the beeping of the monitor picks up as the only sound in the room. 

_Peter is going to be a father._

The thought causes him to draw in a shuddering breath as he struggles to contain the warmth blooming in his chest. A baby, their baby… But is MJ alright? Peter turns to face her, his eyes searching her face desperately. Her expression is completely impassive as she stares straight ahead, capable of seeing nothing but the physician. 

“What did you say?” 

MJ’s words are soft, breathy. There is a note to them, however, of something Peter has never heard before. “Say it again.” 

This time, Peter does not let the doctor repeat herself. His hand, hesitant, rises to her cheek, and when it does, MJ’s deep, dark gaze snaps to his own. Those eyes hold so many emotions as they meet his own, and the waves of feeling lap at him as he stares into them– shock, fear, confusion.  _Hope._

It is this last gleam in her eye that causes Peter to lightly caress her cheek with his fingers, his own throat becoming constricted as he summons the words. “We’re having a baby, MJ,” he breathes, his words gentle. He does not know what her reaction will be, but he knows as he looks at her that whatever it is, he will respect it. 

Still… She is the woman that he loves more than anything in the universe, and the idea of starting a mysterious journey with her is something that awes him to his very core. 

For a moment, MJ says nothing. Then, like a few watery rays of sunlight piercing through the clouds, a smile flits across her face. 

“We’re having a baby.” 

The words, spoken from her lips, are enough to bring him to his knees. Peter crumples to a kneeling position by her bed, taking her hand in both of his own now. The radiant joy that begins to transform her face seems to be shining from within her. Peter has never seen a more beautiful Michelle Jones than the one whose hand he is holding, the one with messy curls dangling around her shoulders and a hospital gown obscuring her form. 

Her eyes find him, and when they do, they are positively dancing. A laugh bubbles from her lips as she brings her other hand to meet his, and the sound is enough to fill Peter to brimming with rapture. His eyes sting as he looks up at her, and he knows that this feeling is only the beginning. 

His life is going to change forever. 

The doctor by the door is smiling, too, though she is trying to hide it. “I’ll leave you two alone,” she hums, tucking the clipboard beneath her arm. “Congratulations.” 

The sound of the door closing causes Peter to draw in a shuddering gasp, and he rises to his feet with her hands in his own. “MJ-” 

“Shh,” MJ instructs, though her smile only widens as she scours his face, looking to soak up every bit of his happiness to add to her own. “I know, Peter. I know.” 

Peter shakes his head, and he knows a few tears are slipping free. The words leave him before he can stop them, and somehow he knows they are the right ones. 

“This world isn’t going to know what to do with two perfect Joneses in it.” 

MJ’s eyes widen, then, and her smile begins to fade. Peter didn’t think it was possible, but somehow her face betrays more of the pure, radiant joy than before as she looks at him. MJ takes her hands back to reach for him, and Peter is more than willing to comply. 

Peter leans over the bed, bringing his face closer to her own. Her arms settle around his neck, and Peter knows that she expects him to close the distance between them, but he is not ready yet. For a moment, Peter maintains the distance, his own hands rising to cup her cheeks. In that moment, his eyes want nothing more than to drink in every bit of her face, to capture the joy and the shock and the wonder forever. 

This is the end of everything that Peter has ever known, and it’s the beginning of a life of discovery by MJ’s side. 

Peter’s own smile grows, and MJ cannot seem to breathe as she stares into his eyes. The monitor begins to beep faster, and then faster… And then Peter closes the distance, bringing his lips to meet her own. 

Peter does not know how long they stay that way, with their lips dancing together in a kiss that speaks to the pure joy they both feel. Peter brings his hands to tangle in her hair, deepening their kiss to speak to the passion that is coursing through him– the passion for her, the passion for them, and the passion for the life that she is bringing into the world. 

The life that he gets to be a part of, because somehow the most incredible woman in the world chose him. 

The monitor beeps faster, and faster, and faster, and after a moment the young physician reappears at the door, a look of worry on her face as she prepares to check the vitals. However, when she arrives in the doorway, the young woman pauses as a small smile tugs at her lips. 

They’re young and they’re in love, and the future may be uncertain. But somehow, the doctor has a feeling that the life that Michelle Jones is bringing into the world is going to be in good hands.


End file.
